Chilli Varieties

I will publish the full list of chillis available for purchase from Gower Chillis at the the Gower Chilli Festival 2016 when available in the Spring.

Information About Chillis:

Chilli terminology can be confusing. Pepper, chili, chile, chilli and capsicum are used interchangeably to describe the plants and pods of the genus Capsicum. The name comes from the Greek kapto, 'to bite' and there are five species (with hundreds of varieties).

• annuum, meaning "annual," (which is incorrect as all chillis can be perennial if they are looked after even in the UK climate - where they need to come indoors to overwinter), includes most of the common types like NuMex, Jalapeño, Cherries and Waxes, Anchos and Cayennes

• baccatum, meaning "berrylike," which consist of the South American chillis known as ajís. The flower corollas are white with dark green or brown spots; anthers yellow or tan. Below you will see a few of these varieties as, like the Rocottos they fruit and ripen late into the Winter extending the fresh chilli season.

• chinense, meaning "from China," (which is not correct) this species include the habaneros, scotch bonnets and the super hot varieties such as Naga Jolokia, Bhut Jolokia, Dorest Naga and Infinity Chillis. Flowers have white to greenish corollas and purple anthers and filaments.

• frutescens, meaning "shrubby or bushy," includes the Tabasco's . Flowers have greenish white corollas with no spots and blue anthers

• pubescens, meaning "hairy," and includes the rocottos. Sprawling plant up to 6 feet high; flowers have purple corollas, purple anthers and stand erect above the leaves. At Gower Chillis we grow the Rocotto varieties which are particularly late ripening which means we have ripe chillis right up until Christmas.